A Lady Like Hand
by soccerchick-08
Summary: Kel attends Shinko and Roald's wedding and finds that all her friends have a significant other. She then sees a certain sergeant dancing with another lady. k/d one-shot


Laughter rang through the small dressing room. The laughter was light, melodious, and better yet, contagious. It was soon followed with a disgruntled sound that could only be made by a teenage boy. This started another peal of laughter that continued until silence was finally found.

The small dressing room contained two entirely different people. One person was the Lady Knight Keladry of Mindelan while the other was her former indentured servant Tobias Boon. The teenage boy now came to her shoulder and his unruly blonde hair was swinging around emphatically as he shook his head, "Lady, I can't wear these--these _fancy pants_."

Keladry, or Kel as her friends called her, tried to hide her smile without much avail, "Tobe you were invited to go to the wedding. You can't go to the wedding in your work clothes." The wedding was for Kel's friends, Roald of Tortall and Shinkokami of the Yamani Islands. The two were to finally wed after their long engagement following the end of the war.

"But these dressy clothes are so…confining. I can't get them messy or anything." The boy's face was filled with duress from the situation. Tobe had always been one to opt out of noble pleasantries, but this was one time that Kel was certain he would entertain the idea of dressing up.

"They may seem a little confining I'll admit, but that doesn't mean you can't dance in them."

This remark only made the teenager huff more, "Why would I _ever_ want to dance in front of stuffy nobles? They would only make fun of me."

"I heard from a little birdy that Clara would be going." At this short mention, Tobe instantly perked up and his back seemed to straighten.

"Maybe dressing up won't be so bad." Kel smiled to herself and mentally patted herself on the back. Kel stepped out of the room to allow Tobe to try on the fine clothing and then went to the front of the shop to talk to Lalasa about a new hold she had learned while she had been at New Hope.

Kel smiled as she watched the look of wonder on her friend's face. The bride had just begun her walk down the aisle but Kel couldn't stop looking at Roald's smitten face while looking at his bride, _'To think that at one point in time they couldn't sit in a room without looking the other way. Thank the gods for the library sessions during the balls. The two probably would not have even smiled upon each other as they do now.'_

She had been to so many weddings following the war that she could probably recite the words better than any priest. As the Mithran priest began the routine words of marriage Kel looked around for her friends. She found the newly married Yuki and Neal sitting beside one another next to Duke Baird a few rows in front of her. A row back from the couple was a familiar head of black hair. Kel smiled as a hand from the black haired person flicked Neal in the ear, _'That _must_ be Dom.'_ Beside Dom was a woman with long black hair that was just beginning to grey that Kel guessed was Dom's mother judging by the glare she had just given her son.

Upon further exploration of the room she found that there didn't seem to be a dry set of women's eyes, she looked up to see the newlyweds kiss chastely and then begin walking back down the aisle. Kel found herself standing up to clap along with everyone else and smile at the look the two were sending one another.

The seats slowly cleared out and people began to make their way towards the ballroom for the food and dancing. Kel's lips formed a ghost of a smile as she saw Tobe fidgeting with impatience, "Fidgeting doesn't help your situation."

Tobe merely shrugged and continued to scan over the sea of faces that were trying to push their way to the ballroom. No doubt he was looking for the tawny haired girl that was helping out at the royal kennel. Kel had been introduced to her while talking to Lord Wyldon near the kennels and had instinctively arranged her former servant and the girl to meet. The teenagers had hit it off and Kel couldn't help but let a small satisfied smile slide across her lips whenever they were together.

The sea of people led to the ballroom that had been redesigned for the single purpose of the wedding reception. The warm reds in the room brought the ever looming pronouncement of love. Kel subconsciously glanced at all the paired off couples in the room and couldn't control the fog of loneliness from perpetrating her mind as it had during other weddings. Kel shook her head ruefully and headed towards familiar bickering voices.

At the sound of the smooth, deep voice of a certain black haired sergeant Kel's heart did a quick little somersault before she quashed the ridiculous feeling. She maneuvered around a group of young ladies who were no doubt whispering of all the available men that were at the wedding. Kel had expected to see her long time best friend, Neal, and his cousin bickering but instead found Dom squabbling with, what Kel assumed, was his mother, "Are you not ready to settle down and have a family Domitan?"

Kel could barely suppress a smile as she saw Dom cringe at the use of his full name, "Mother we've talked about this before-"

"Don't you _want_ to have a family? You're almost thirty for gods sake, do you still get a thrill from chasing a skirt around?"

Kel couldn't help but cringe for Dom as his eyes lowered uncomfortably. Kel stepped away before the verbal lashing got any worse. Her slippers padded quietly across the ballroom floor as she searched for a familiar face. She soon found her old knightmaster standing beside his wife. The two were comically standing in a corner hiding. Raoul was having difficulties hiding his large frame from view as Kel spotted his ruddy curls from across the way. She made her way to see the two and attempted to not be jostled by the children that ran underfoot.

Kel smiled warmly at the two when she finally was within sight and was met with a bone crushing hug from the famous Giantkiller, "Gods every time I see you I feel older and older." He finally released her and the three spoke of the months preceding the war. The long war had ended with a civil war in Scanra. The tribes had gained enough power to up rise against Maggur. A successful treaty was then communicated between the two countries and, for now, they were at peace with one another.

"So what are your plans for the Own? Maybe I could ride with you until I'm given an assignment. I don't think I could stand to sit around the palace."

Raoul rubbed the back of his neck subconsciously, "Actually Buri and I have been talking for the last couple months now. And we're going to be starting our family. I'm going to take some time off from the Own so Dom will be in charge for awhile. A temporary raise if you will. So you'd have to actually ask Dom for permission."

"Congratulations! It seems like just yesterday you two went to my lord's aunt's party." Kel smiled at the bittersweet remembrance of the happy couple but of the tirade she had to face with Burchard of Stone Mountain.

"Gods that really does feel like yesterday…" Raoul smiled fondly and then craned his neck down to land a swift kiss on his wife's lips, "Well we are going to give the newlyweds our wishes and then we will be leaving. It's always good to see you Kel. Stop by and we'll have to joust soon, I think I'm getting rusty."

"My lord you could never get rusty at jousting."

"Pert little knight aren't you?"

"Some things never change milord." The two shared one last hug and then Kel was again off to find a friendly face. The room was filled with laughter and Kel's ears picked up on a distinct laugh she had heard many a time. She followed her ears towards the joyful sound to find her grinning friend Sir Owen of Jesslaw. Time had done little to change the young knight with exception of small laugh lines under his eyes. His bouncy curls were still as stubborn as always and his cheeks were beginning to pinken from consuming some bubbling drinks. His hand was wrapped around a petite black haired female that Kel knew to be Marjorie of Cavall.

The two were always laughing with one another as if they had heard a joke no one else had, "Kel! The most ferocious lady knight of all the lands!" Owen promptly let go of his fiancee's waist and picked her up into an ungraceful bear hug. Kel couldn't help but let out a bubbling laugh as she coaxed her friend into letting her down. The three talked about the couple's future wedding until Owen's favorite song came on and he pulled his fiancé to the dance floor. Kel stood alone and watched another couple walk off to be in their own little world before continuing on her journey to find friendly faces. She cautiously moved in between tables but suddenly someone's chair leg backed into her shin and she found herself falling before she could do anything to stop herself. But the momentum that had been carrying her was finally stopped when two strong arms wrapped around her midsection.

Kel let out a large sigh from missing a near catastrophe and turned to thank the person who captured her. Of course it was Dom that was standing behind her giving her a big sparkling grin, "Where would you be without me, oh Protector of the Small?"

She suppressed the urge to relax in his hold before replying, "Right on the ground sergeant."

"We can't have the most famous knight in all the lands getting a bruised bum. What would the conservatives say?"

Kel straightened out of his hold and promptly began to pat all the wrinkles away from Lalasa's creation, "They would probably say that I did this on purpose so I could find a way to have a man catch me. I would then woo the man into my bed where I would deflower him beyond belief."

"Lucky for you this man has already been deflowered so there wouldn't be any harm."

Dom's easy smirk set Kel off of their consistent banter and she stumbled momentarily before saying, "But what would your men say sergeant?"

"Oh please they've had me in bed with you for _ages_. The question is what they wouldn't say."

Kel wrung her hands together behind her back as to hide her anxiety from his eyes. Her two hands felt like sandpaper as they rubbed between each other and she wondered what it would feel like to have lady-like hands that hadn't been roughed by fighting, "Okay, okay you win. We need-" Before Kel could continue Dom did a small little jig before her eyes and she couldn't help but grin at his ridiculousness, "Well as I was saying I need to actually speak with you about important matters."

Dom's large grin lowered a notch and he gave her a quizzical look, "What about?"

"Well I'm told you will be taking over the Own while Raoul is away, and I was hoping to ride with the Own until I am given an assignment. I don't think I could stand to sit around the palace."

"So let me get this straight you want to put yourself in the position so I am in charge of you?" Kel nodded very slowly, "That sounds perfect to me; you know the Own could always use an extra warrior. And having the Protector of the Small around will certainly scare bandits away. They'll take one look at your pigsticker and run for their lives." Kel made a small smile as Dom went on a short tangent of how scary a fighter she was before he stopped abruptly when a brunette tapped him on the shoulder.

He turned to face the lady, "Can I steal you away for a dance, Sergeant Domitan?"

"Oh I'm sure Kel won't mind." Dom waved to Kel before following the dainty brunette onto the dance floor. Kel watched as the two walked away and she felt as if someone had shoved her into cold water. The lady knight shook her head ruefully as if to shake out the bitter feeling swarming her thoughts and continued on to find some friendly banter.

It was not long until she had maneuvered through enough tables to find her two best friends sitting together with their fingers entwined. Kel merely took a seat across from them and waited for them to come back to reality. Neal was currently whispering something to Yuki and stopped mid-whisper when he realized he had an audience, "Gods Kel, I would have spoke louder had I known you were sitting there."

"Very funny Neal, but I don't need to hear of your plans for this evening."

"My only plans for tonight are to dance with lovely creatures such as my wife and you." Neal gracefully pulled his chair back before going around the table to take her hand and called over his shoulder, "I'll be back my love." Neal led her to the dance floor where a slow song played for the elegant dancers. The long time best friends swayed to the music and twirled when appropriate. As Kel looked over Neal's shoulder she saw Dom dancing closely with a stunning brunette. The brunette had little muscle and probably didn't have scarred hands from a demon-like griffin.

Kel felt herself tense as she watched the two dance and took a few deep breaths to calm herself before her partner noticed. Of course they had known each other for so long so Kel had no such luck, "Kel what's wrong?" Neal tilted his face so he met her gaze.

"Just drop it Neal, its not important." Neal gave her a quizzical look before shrugging it off. The music continued on and dancers let the music flow through their legs.

"You'd tell me if there was something wrong right?" Kel internally sighed but couldn't help but glance at Dom as the question was asked. He was now whispering into the girl's ear with his back to Kel and she could see the peals of laughter on the girl's face.

"Nothing's wrong Neal, it's the life I was dealt. I just need to get out of the palace."

"There's a life outside of fighting Kel."

Kel shook her head ruefully while looking into Neal's green eyes, "For you maybe, but not for me. I don't have anyone to come home to. I have fighting. At least that keeps me busy so I can't think about…other things."

"You're a _lady_ knight Kel, you're not just a fighter. Plenty of people see you as more than just a warrior."

Kel tried to smile at the man who had been like a brother to her for so long before looking beyond his shoulder at his cousin, "Some people don't think so." The two remained quiet until the song ended and then they parted so Neal could dance with his wife. Kel walked the remaining perimeter and saw the happy newlyweds were alone, "Congratulations you two!" She gave a Yaman and Tortallan bow before giving her friends hugs.

The two had the biggest grins of their faces that Kel wouldn't be surprised if they stayed glued that way for the entire night. Their eyes seemed to drift towards one another by some sort of mechanism, and their hands were constantly entwined. Kel envied their love filled state. The three chatted a short time before a noble couple stood behind Kel to offer their blessings. Kel gave them hugs in goodbye and moved out of the couple's way.

Kel scanned the crowd to see if there was anyone else she would want to say hello to before leaving for the night but the two people she saw made the rest seem invisible. Kel saw the, oh so, familiar dark hair of Dom leaning to put an arm around the laughing chocolately brunette. Dom's eyes seemed to be searching around the room for someone until he met Kel's probing eyes, they widened in response but he did nothing to remove his hand from the lady's hip. Kel's back stiffened as she felt the small compulsions in her chest that probably had to do with small parts of her heart tightening up. The beating of her heart seemed to be thumping in her throat. It was making swallowing difficult as she tried to regain her trachea to breath properly. Kel turned slowly away before walking as slow as she could to retain normalcy.

She exited the luxurious red room into the hallways where she lifted her leg up one by one to take off her shoes. Swallowing was becoming ever more difficult as she fumbled with taking off one shoe and began to stumble. For the second time that night a callused hand caught her arm, "Now do I have to follow you everywhere so you don't fall all over the place." Kel looked up into the sapphire blues eyes that she had hoped she wouldn't find, "You're becoming almost as bad as my lord by skipping out on parties so early."

Kel nodded despondently before straightening up and grabbing her other slipper off her foot. Dom bit his lip nervously when he had failed to get a response out of Kel twice, "Kel are you alright?" Kel nodded mutely again before turning to leave, but Dom grabbed her arm before she could continue down the hall, "C'mon Kel you can tell me. You look like a wreak at the moment…"

Kel just stared at this man who after almost decade of friendship could still be so ignorant of what seemed so obvious to her. Kel attempted to swallow the vice like grip that she felt upon her throat before replying quietly, "Weddings tend to remind me of how alone I really am."

Dom looked down as if embarrassed and scratched the back of his head, "You're not the only one, plus weddings usually have ridiculously clingy, drunk ladies and that is something I would love to avoid at all costs."

All she could do was shake her head, "Don't say stuff like that on my account, you're not one to settle down. I know you too well Dom." Kel began to walk away so she could escape another wedding alone. She didn't want to entertain to the people around her and appear happy when in fact she was tired of not having someone by her side. Her bare feet felt chilled against the stone floor.

"I'd settle down for the right one." The response was so quiet that Kel thought she was imagining it. She turned slightly to see if Dom was still standing there and she met his dark sapphire eyes with her own. His eyes were intently staring at her face as if he hadn't seen her in ages.

"How do you know you'll ever find her?"

Dom looked down bashfully, "I knew it would be her when our hands touched a summer long ago. She had been handing me her spyglass and a mere finger had grazed my hand. She ruined me. I couldn't ever hold a lady's hand without wishing it was her hand." He glanced up hesitantly before noticing that Kel had walked amid the distance between them without him noticing. Kel hesitantly reached her fingers to entwine them between Dom's own.

"You better not be talking about Miri or you will be facing one hormonal lady knight." Dom grinned recklessly with his eyes sparkling and reached his other hand to softly caress her tanned cheekbones before leaning in to kiss the barefoot lady knight.

Hope you enjoyed this one shot, let me know how it went :]


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